The Miracle Match:
Chappell, Lillee, Richards and the Most Electric Moment in Australian Cricket

Imagine five of the world’s greatest players lining up for a domestic one-day game at the WACA Ground in Perth in December, 1976. Then, imagine the team that bats first being bowled out for just 77 runs. Finally, let your imagination take you through what was a devastatingly effective spell by fastbowling great Dennis Lillee leading his team to what appeared to be an unwinnable victory – having claimed Viv Richards and Greg Chappell for just two runs between them! “Make ‘em fight for it, be buggered … we’re going to beat these bastards!” – Dennis Lillee said before going out to spearhead the ‘impossible’ win. Such a feat has never been repeated sinceread more

Imagine five of the world’s greatest players lining up for a domestic one-day game at the WACA Ground in Perth in December, 1976. Then, imagine the team that bats first being bowled out for just 77 runs. Finally, let your imagination take you through what was a devastatingly effective spell by fastbowling great Dennis Lillee leading his team to what appeared to be an unwinnable victory – having claimed Viv Richards and Greg Chappell for just two runs between them! “Make ‘em fight for it, be buggered … we’re going to beat these bastards!” – Dennis Lillee said before going out to spearhead the ‘impossible’ win. Such a feat has never been repeated since in domestic first-class cricket. Years later Viv Richards’ commented, “Do I remember that game? It’s never far from the mind, man.”

Through one electric game -unsurprisingly dubbed ‘The Miracle Match’ -, which he himself took part in, author Ian Brayshaw tells the story of some of the greatest players of Australian and international cricket in the 1970s. The Miracle Match is a nostalgic look at the game in a bygone era that will touch the hearts of cricket fans young and old.

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Ian Brayshaw is a journalist-cum-author, who has written or co-written some 25 books on sports and sports heroes. He played cricket for WA for over 17 years – in 1967 becoming only the third bowler in Sheffield Shield history to take all-ten wickets in an innings. The feat has never been repeated since in Shield cricket. Said by some at the time of his retirement in 1978 to be the best player not to have played for Australia. Brayshaw was